Francina Armengol (Inca, 1971) came to the presidency of Congress last week at the hands of 178 ‘yeses’. That majority, to which he now appeals Pedro Sanchez to be invested, he says that he will give him “force” in his work at the head of Congress in one of the legislatures that is expected to be the most tense and in which it has been proposed to implement the use of co-official languages.
Does it impose being the third authority of the State?
It imposes a lot and I feel absolutely overwhelmed, with a great responsibility, but also with a lot of honor, with a lot of enthusiasm and with a lot of desire. I am very grateful for the vote in favor of the 178, without any doubt, but I am going to be the president of the Congress of all, representing the different political formations. I will try to live up to the circumstances.
When did Pedro Sánchez tell you that he wanted you to be the presenter of Congress?
He told me a few days before the plenary session. He explained to me the reasons why he saw it favorable for me to be the candidate for the presidency of Congress, because of my political experience, because of my approaches and also because of the political moment that Spain is experiencing. I had to calm down to say yes, of course.
At the time, you took a position against the DUI and against the application of article 155. Do you think that the situation that has resulted and that it has consequences in the current parliamentary arithmetic was managed badly?
I have always defended, and I continue to defend, that territorial conflicts are resolved through words, through dialogue and consensus, not through judicialization of conflicts. I think that politics is there to talk and to see how we look for the best solutions. And, as for parliamentary arithmetic, it is the reflection of what the Spanish citizens have wanted. Clearly, Spain has opted for not having an absolute majority, and from there, what they tell politicians is, you have to speak and you have to understand each other and understand each other.
You talk about dialogue and seeking solutions to conflicts. We are seeing in recent days how one of the main voices in the independence movement is that of Carles Puigdemont. Should we find a solution to his current situation?
The entire parliamentary arc and the decisions that can be made from the political groups and political parties -because that is not my responsibility now- enters a phase of negotiation of political parties to make possible the majorities of the results of July 23. There were citizens who freely voted for the formation of Junts and from there it will be necessary to see how these agreements can be made possible or not. Different negotiations have to be established between the different political parties to see who has the chance to add that necessary majority of the 176 deputies. This is a parliamentary democracy and those are the rules of the game that we have given ourselves.
In 2021, Esquerra and Junts who presented an amnesty law. The PSOE, together with the PP and Vox, prevented it from being debated at the Congress Table. If a similar proposal were to come to the table of Congress today, how would you act?
As president of Congress, my position is to guarantee the rights of deputies, the rights of parliamentary groups and the need to guarantee rich debates, based on respect and dialogue, and obviously guarantee legality and, therefore, that everything that is processed in accordance with current regulations. I do not get into the background of political issues, nor do I think it is my role or that of the Board, but rather to guarantee that everything that is processed must be done in accordance with the law, from strict regulatory correctness.
The King has proposed Alberto Núñez Feijóo as a candidate for the investiture. Does he believe that Felipe VI has all the information to be able to make that decision, given that several parties have not attended the round of contacts?
I think he has had no problem gathering all the information, far from it.
Now all that remains is to set a date for the debate. Are you going to try to make it possible to use the co-official languages in that plenary session?
My will is to speak to everyone with the firm commitment that all the official languages can be spoken in Congress. It is a priority for this presidency that citizens can see themselves represented in everyone’s chamber in the official languages of their land. That is one of the great riches of this country. Now it’s time to see how we do it as quickly as possible, both from a technical point of view and from the point of view of guaranteeing the linguistic right of deputies who want to express themselves in a co-official language, but also the right of all deputies to be able to understand them. The regulations of the Congress do not mention in any article that one has to speak here in Spanish.
Is the inclusion of Catalan, Basque and Galician in Congress a demand that comes late?
I think it is great news that Congress is the representation of what the real Spain is. Now I will work intensely with all the political groups to make it possible because I want this consensus to be very broad, because I believe that for certain issues to be widely accepted, to work, to be highly consolidated, something stable, it has to be with the maximum agreement possible. I believe that this does not have to be a problem and we have to look for the technical and regulatory formulas to make it viable. Therefore, I think it is a great joy that we see ourselves better represented in Congress, one way of seeing yourself represented is that you hear people talk as you do.
Are you going to deliver some of your speeches in Catalan or do you at least plan to use Catalan in Congress?
First I have to see the scope of how we can meet these objectives, but, obviously, I am the president of the Congress of Deputies, of all of Spain, and, obviously, I think that I am also very clear about that.
I understand that you would like to use Catalan in Congress.
Sure, I wish they could all be used.
We have lived through quite rough plenary sessions during a legislature, with deputies from Vox formations, for example, who have come to vex the Minister of Equality. How is she going to deal with these kinds of attitudes?
I have already spoken with President Meritxell Batet, who I think has done wonderfully well, so that she can give me advice to deal with this situation, which is obviously complex. I believe that we all have a huge responsibility. In democracy it is fundamental that the citizen feels well represented and that, therefore, he is proud of who he represents. Many times, watching a plenary session of Congress, I felt ashamed of what expressions, what qualifiers, and the ways that there have been. That, it seems to me, makes many citizens feel very far away, they feel fed up. Therefore, I will do my best to value democracy and for this reason I will also try my best to have a close relationship with the parliamentary groups, so that there is a bit of that climate of harmony that is necessary to make decisions.
What do you think of the attitude of the President of the RFEF, Luís Rubiales?
It was an absolutely inadmissible attitude. And his apology has been clearly insufficient. This matter confirms that in our society we have to continue advancing to eradicate machismo.
The PSC achieved a historic result in Catalonia and the PSIB obtained one more deputy compared to 2019 on 23J. In addition, now you assume the presidency of Congress. Do you think that the most federalist part of the PSOE is gaining weight within the party?
Since the approval of the Constitution, the issue of regional decentralization is one of the issues that we have clearly advanced the most, although there is still a long way to go. When we talk about the word federal, it is negotiation, that is understanding the reality of Spain, which is that plurality. When we have lived through COVID, we have all understood that co-governance, which President Sánchez coined a lot, was the best way to work. And, therefore, I believe that within the PSOE there is an overwhelming majority that thinks that this is the right path, and I believe that it is absolutely cohesive on that path.
In his speech he quoted Felix Pons, who is the only Mallorcan like you to have held this position. Why does he consider that he is a benchmark and what can his mandate serve him in the face of the mandate that you now have?
Félix was undoubtedly a great politician, a great intellectual, a person with wonderful ways. When I was starting out in politics, I had the chance to eat with him from time to time, just him and me, and I learned a lot. Since President Sánchez proposed that I assume the presidency of the Congress of Deputies, I have reminded him every day thinking, ‘I wish he could be here, what I would need from him and how he could help me.’
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You have defended that you would like to be president of the Balearic Islands again in 2027. Does this decision change your strategy? How is the game on the islands now?
I am still the general secretary of the Socialist Party in the Balearic Islands and, therefore, I am going to continue working intensively in these positions. The PSIB is strong and united. Now we have to make opposition in the institutions with the representatives already elected, both the parliamentary spokesperson and the spokespersons in Consellells or in Palma City Council.